Finding out are pregnant is wonderful news but it also may feel a little overwhelming with the thoughts of all the changes your body will go through over the next nine months. Although it may not seem like it, there are big changes happening in the first couple of weeks of pregnancy and we have broken them down for you here so you know what to expect.

At the beginning, the mother-to-be might not be showing much on the outside, but inside her body all the major organs and systems of the foetus are forming. As the embryo implants itself into the uterine wall, several key developments take place as your little, tiny human begins to grow and make itself at home in your belly!

A sac filled with amniotic fluid, called the amniotic sac, surrounds the foetus throughout the pregnancy. The amniotic fluid is liquid made by the foetus and protects the foetus from injury. It also helps to regulate the temperature of the foetus. 

The placenta is an organ shaped like a flat cake that only grows during pregnancy. It attaches to the uterine wall with tiny projections called villi. Foetal blood vessels grow from the umbilical cord into these villi, exchanging nourishment and waste products with the mother’s blood. 

The umbilical cord is a rope-like cord connecting the foetus to the placenta. The umbilical cord contains two arteries and a vein, which carry oxygen and nutrients to the foetus and waste products away from the foetus, which is crucial to forming a healthy baby.

Even though it may not seem like much is happening in the early days of pregnancy, the most dramatic changes and development happen during the first trimester. During the first 8 weeks, a foetus is called an embryo. The embryo develops rapidly and by the end of the first trimester it becomes a foetus that is fully formed, on average only 3 to 4 inches in length.  That is a lot of growing in the first 12 weeks! The first trimester is the most crucial for the baby’s development and this why it is so important for mum to take care of her own health and in turn, the baby’s. During this period, the baby’s body structure and organ systems develop. Most miscarriages and birth defects occur during this period. This is why it is crucial to support the developing foetus and the maternal system with the nutrition it needs. 

This is where Proceive tailored Pregnancy products come in. Tailored to each different trimester of pregnancy, Proceive is specifically formulated to support the nutritional needs of mum and baby during each trimester of pregnancy. To find out more about Proceive pregnancy please click here.